Latest starting LB's injury news puts Rams in a bind they'd rather avoid

The Los Angeles Rams have been pleased with the performance from their starting inside linebacker duo, Nate Landman and Omar Speights. Landman is second in tackles, but first in terms of fumble recoveries.

He has that "peanut punch" that has already helped preserve a victory. And Speights has been a worthy teammate.

Until he fell to injury in Week 5.

That places a tough decision at the feet of the coaching staff. Historically, Los Angeles has favored going with veteran inside linebacker Troy Reeder. Reeder knows the defense, and that is not necessarily a good thing. He started when LA had a reputation for a donut defense, and fans have not forgotten.

And therein lies the conflict.

Fans warmly embraced newcomers added in the offseason to compete for a role on the roster. But when the Rams released promising rookie Pooh Paul Jr. to retain Reeder, some fans were openly angered.

And it set the stage for the current dilemma. Will LA stick with a low-ceiling veteran in Week 6 against the Baltimore Ravens? Or is this the perfect stage to debut rookie Shaun Dolac?

Fans may be more eager for Shaun Dolac's Rams debut than coaches

The truth is that Los Angeles has already gotten some work out of the Buffalo rookie, albeit in a special teams role, one in which he's dominated. In 80 special team snaps, he has already generated 10 tackles. Seriously, 10 special team tackles in just five games.

And he is not just ankle-tackling. He is putting on a tackling clinic, textbook fashion.

It's no mere coincidence that as he nears what could become his first NFL start on defense, he is already sitting down for a feature interview with team reporter JB Long. That's not exactly the type of honor handed out to special teams players. It would appear the Rams have a bigger role in store for their undrafted rookie linebacker.

Of course, the decision over who to start will be up to LA's coaching staff. But the truth is the optics for Dolac have been outstanding so far. Some of the best linebackers in this franchise's history have begun their NFL careers by dominating on special teams.

Is this the time for one more rookie to begin to contribute on the defensive side of the football.

More than a few fans hope so.

As always, thanks for reading.

You may enjoy reading more Rams articles as well